Bihar Economic Survey 2025




Bihar Economy Overview

  • Presented on 28 Feb 2025 by Finance Minister Samrat Chaudhry

  • Bihar’s 19th Economic Survey

  • Bihar ranks 2nd among fastest growing states in India (1st - Tamil Nadu)

  • GSDP (2023-24):

    • Current Price: ₹8.54 lakh crore

    • Constant Price: ₹4.64 lakh crore

  • NSDP (Net State Domestic Product):

    • Current Price: ₹7.71 lakh crore

    • Constant Price: ₹4.11 lakh crore

  • GSDP growth: 3.5 times increase from 2011-12 to 2023-24

  • Annual GSDP growth:

    • Current Price: 14.5%

    • Constant Price: 9.2%

  • Per Capita GSDP (2023-24):

    • Current Price: ₹66,800

    • Constant Price: ₹36,300

  • Gross Fixed Capital Formation: ₹0.39 lakh crore (4.6%) of GSDP

  • Prosperous districts (Per Capita GSDP): Patna > Begusarai > Munger

  • Most impoverished district: Sheohar

  • Share of sectors in GSVA:

    • Primary: 19.9%

    • Secondary: 21.5%

    • Tertiary: 58.6%

  • Workforce participation:

    • Primary: 54.2%

    • Secondary: 11.3%

    • Tertiary: 22.2%


State Finances

  • Total Expenditure: ₹2.52 lakh crore

    • Revenue Expenditure: ₹1.91 lakh crore

    • Capital Expenditure: ₹0.62 lakh crore

  • Revenue Receipts: ₹1.93 lakh crore

  • Capital Receipts: ₹0.60 lakh crore

  • Revenue Surplus: ₹2,833 crore (−0.3% of GSDP)

  • Gross Fiscal Deficit: 4.2% of GSDP

  • Primary Deficit: 2.1% of GSDP


Agriculture and Allied Sectors

  • 75% of Bihar’s population depends on agriculture

  • Agriculture, forestry & fishing contribute about 20% of Bihar’s GSVA

  • Crop production growth (since 2020-21):

    • Rice up by 21%

    • Wheat up by 10.7%

    • Maize up by 66.6%

  • Bihar produces 85% of India’s total Makhana

  • Between 2018-19 and 2022-23:

    • Milk production rose by 27.3%

    • Eggs rose by 85.7%

    • Fish production rose by 45%

  • 5,873 high-breed cattle units established under Samagra Gavya Vikas Yojana

  • Fisheries schemes: Mukhyamantri Chaur Vikas, Talab Matsyaki Vikas, Plateau Pond Scheme

  • KCC loan disbursal rose from ₹3,204 crore (2019-20) to ₹7,080 crore (2023-24)

  • Organic farming expansion: 20,000 acres allotted in Jaivik Corridor Phase 2

  • Climate Resilient Agriculture Programme active in 30 districts

  • Sub-sector growth rates (in %):

    • Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing: 5.4

    • Crops: 4.7

    • Livestock: 7.6

    • Forestry and Logging: 3.9

    • Fishing and Aquaculture: 3.2

  • GSVA Share (in %):

    • Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing: 19.5

    • Crops: 9.9

    • Livestock: 6.3

    • Forestry and Logging: 1.5

    • Fishing and Aquaculture: 1.8


Land Use and Cropping Pattern

  • 54.6% of Bihar’s land under crops (2022–23)

  • Buxar and Bhojpur districts have >80% land under cultivation

  • Highest cropping intensity:

    • Supaul: 1.82

    • Jehanabad: 1.75

  • Net sown area: 51.13 lakh hectares

  • Gross sown area: 72.68 lakh hectares

  • State’s cropping intensity overall: 1.42

  • Cereals dominate cropping; cereal area rose by 7.1% compared to 2022-23

  • Principal crops: Rice (Kharif) and Wheat (Rabi)

  • Jute production increased by 24.6%; highest production in Purnea, highest yield in Kishanganj

  • Top fruit cultivation:

    • Mango: 44.3% of fruit area

    • Banana: second largest area

  • Tea: Center of Excellence to be established in Kishanganj

  • Betel leaf supported in 6 districts; horticulture center in Bidupur


District-wise Top Production

  • Banana: Bhagalpur

  • Guava: Rohtas

  • Litchi: Muzaffarpur

  • Mango: Darbhanga

  • Onion: Nalanda

  • Top vegetable: Potato (39.6% area)

  • Vegetable development scheme in 23 districts


Government Support and Schemes

  • Irrigation support: 80% subsidy on drip and sprinkler systems under PMKSY for small/marginal farmers

  • Centers of Excellence:

    • Chandi (Nalanda) for vegetables

    • Desari (Vaishali) for fruits

  • Fertilizer usage: Urea accounts for 2/3rd of total fertilizer use; highest NPK use in Purnea

  • Irrigation mainly from groundwater; wells used for 64.1% of irrigated area

  • Dairy Farming:

    • Samagra Gavya Vikas Yojana offers 75% subsidy for EBC/SC/ST and 50% for others

    • Desi Gaupalan Protsahan Yojana supports indigenous cows with similar subsidies


New Water Resource Schemes

  • Eastern Gandak Canal System to be completed by 2025-26

  • Ganga Water Supply Scheme Phase I supplies water to Rajgir and Nawada since 2023

  • Ganga Water Supply Scheme Phase II (Madhuvan reservoir) to complete by August 2025

  • Nikrish Pump Canal Scheme launched on Karmanasha River to resolve water shortage in Buxar district


Enterprises Sector

  • Secondary sector GSDP growth: 9.2% (2023-24)

  • Construction forms 50.2% of secondary sector GSDP (2022-23), growing at 22%

  • Manufacturing contributes 37% of secondary sector GSDP

  • Bihar contributes 0.5% to India’s GVA (2022-23) and 8.8% to rural market establishments GVA (2nd highest)

Major Industries

  • Sugar Industry: 9 mills active; recent reopening of Riga Sugar Mill; Jaggery promotion and mechanization schemes underway

  • Dairy Industry (COMFED): 38.7% growth over previous year

  • Textile Industry: 14 handloom districts; produces three types of silk; power subsidy worth ₹33.34 crore and working capital support of ₹10,000 per unit

Industrial Clusters and Startups

  • BIADA industrial clusters in 9 zones including Bhagalpur, Patna, Gaya, and Muzaffarpur

  • Udyog Mitra assisted 2,153 entrepreneurs

  • Startup Bihar’s YUVA model: Support, education, funding (₹15 lakh per selected startup), and 46 help centers

  • Started a 2-year PGDM course at CIMP for startup building

  • ₹150 crore fund with SIDBI for startups; ranked "Aspiring Leader" by DPIIT

  • Partnered with BIRAC Global Bio-India 2024; industry leaders guide startups

Tourism Development

  • Budget hotel at Janki Vihar, Sitamarhi; service plaza at Supaul; tourism office in Patna


Labour, Employment, and Skill Development

  • Labour Force Participation Rate overall: 55% (Male 78.5%, Female 32%)

  • Unemployment Rate overall: 3% (Male 3.6%, Female 1.4%), Urban rate higher at 7.3%

  • Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing is the top employment sector for both genders

  • Informal sector jobs: 90.8% male, 78.8% female

  • Self-employment: 61.2% male, 83.7% female

  • Rural daily wages: Male ₹420, Female ₹339; Urban wages: Male ₹449, Female ₹369

  • Skill development schemes: Kushal Yuva Programme, Recruit-Train-Deploy, Domain Skilling, SANKALP (World Bank funded)

  • Bihar won 13 medals (4 gold) in 2023 World Skills Competition

  • Mega Skill Centre planned in Patna (hub-and-spoke)


Physical Infrastructure

  • Transport sector grew 7.6% (2011-24), GSVA share rose from 7.3% to 10.2%

  • Bihar 8th largest road network in India (2019)

  • Four expressways under construction: Varanasi–Ranchi–Kolkata, Gorakhpur–Siliguri, Patna–Purnea, Raxaul–Haldia

  • Ranked 5th in vehicle registration (transport), 7th in non-transport registrations

  • New schemes: Mukhya Mantri Vahan Chalak Kalyan Yojana and Mukhya Mantri Prakhand Parivahan Yojana


E-Governance Initiatives

  • Emergency Response Support System (ERSS-112): 68,000 daily calls, 15-minute response time

  • E-Shikshakosh for real-time school management

  • BHAVYA App for hospital operation streamlining

  • ICT infrastructure: Teledensity 55.59%, Internet density 42.1%, 100% Panchayats onboarded

  • Major IT programs include BSDC 2.0, BSWAN 2.0, Aadhaar Framework, MSDG, IT skilling and training centres

  • Law & Order digital systems: AI tracking, CCTV traffic management, e-Courts, e-Prisons, real-time FIR management


Power Sector

  • 100% household electrification since 2018, with 2.12 crore consumers

  • Peak demand 8,005 MW in 2024, 24-hour urban and ~22-hour rural power supply

  • Per capita power consumption 363 kWh (up 229 kWh in 12 years)

  • Consumer base multiplied 7 times since 2012

  • Power use: 41% domestic, 13% agriculture, 46% industrial/non-domestic

  • Planned generation capacity 12,058 MW (2024-25); 66.6% thermal, 33.4% renewable

  • 1 GW solar target; 50 MW completed under Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali

  • State schemes include prepaid metering and dedicated farming electricity connections


Rural Development

  • Rural development expenditure ~10% of total state spending

  • JEEVIKA empowers 10.63 lakh SHGs and 71,100 VOs

  • Didi ki Rasoi community kitchens run by SHG women

  • 100 SHG-run grocery stores linked with market firms

  • MGNREGS guarantees 100 days wage employment annually

  • High employment and participation seen in East Champaran, Samastipur, Gaya, Saharsa

  • Women’s participation over 50% in most districts


Urban Development

  • Urbanization rate 11.3% vs. national average 31.2%

  • Urban budget increased by 227.3%

  • Patna leads urban population growth

  • Patna ranked 1st in Bihar (Water +, ODF, 1-Star Garbage Free), 77th nationally

  • Metro Rail: Patna Metro with 2 corridors (32.5 km), ₹3,402 crore budget, new metros approved for other cities


Financial Institutions

  • Mobile banking and internet banking users increased by 239.3% and 168.9%, respectively

  • Credit-Deposit Ratio: 52.8, highest in Purnea, lowest in Munger


Human Development

  • Social services expenditure increased 13 times

  • Health and education sectors expenditure grew 13 and 10 times respectively

  • Population projected to grow by 4.93 crore (47.3%) from 2011 to 2041

  • Total Fertility Rate reduced from 4.2 (2015) to 3.8 (2020)

  • Working age population to increase to 58.3% by 2041, demographic dividend peak expected around 2041

  • Life expectancy at birth: approx. 69.5 years

  • Institutional deliveries: 86.7% (2021-22)


Child Development

  • Children (0-18 years) constitute 48% of the population

  • Bihar contributes 11% of India’s child population

  • 18% of state budget allocated to child development

  • Per capita spending on children: ₹9,131 (2022–23)

  • Reduction in stunting (42.9%) and underweight (41.0%), slight increase in wasting (22.9%)

  • Anaemia prevalence in children (6-59 months): 69.4%


Environment, Climate Change, and Disaster Management

  • Forestry sector tripled in growth since 2011

  • Average temperature rose from 21.2°C (2017) to 24.7°C (2023)

  • Forest cover increased by 687 sq km (2011-23)

  • 35 air quality and 34 Ganga water monitoring stations

  • Average rainfall: 1004.6 mm; highest in Kishanganj, lowest in Kaimur

  • Carbon stock in 2023: 58,451 thousand tonnes (increased by 1,570 thousand tonnes since 2021)

  • Most carbon stored as Soil Organic Carbon (63%) and Above Ground Biomass (26%)

  • 771 forest fire incidents recorded, mainly in Valmiki Tiger Reserve (West Champaran)



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